Ch. 10: If I Fell
Disclaimer: We do not own Twilight or Royal Caribbean.
A/N: Moeo shomis!! (Zulu) Thanks for reading. The quote from last chapter was "My Dear Watson" from Sherlock Holmes. Thank you for the reviews, story alerts, author alerts, favorite authors, and favorite stories. Special thanks to canibeyourmemory, lauren loves spunky, and xiloveedwardcullenx for constantly reviewing.
BPOV
Charlie, Renée, Carlisle and Esme found us at the pool around 1:30. Carlisle and Esme had gone to the interior design lecture. Charlie and Renée had explored the ship. And they might've had a few drinks along the way. They all wanted to head down to the gangway on Deck 1 early enough so we wouldn't get stuck in the crowds trying to leave the ship. Edward and I were walking behind everybody else, holding hands. He was hesitant when I first grabbed his hand, but I'm sure it was only because he was afraid of what Charlie might do to him. As soon as we were joined, though, he immediately relaxed.
Once we got down to Deck 1, we had to slide our boarding passes into a slot in a podium to show that we left the ship. There were crew members outside taking pictures by the gangway.
Renée jumped at the opportunity to get, yet, another family picture, "Come on you guys. Like I said on the first day, we are going to take as many pictures as possible." I sighed, but went complied with her request. Who was I to rain on her parade?
Charlie seemed just as enthusiastic as me, but went along with it anyway because he loves Renée.
Esme was just as excited about the pictures as Renée. The two were alike in so many ways, it was scary. She had pulled all of them towards the spot where the pictures were being taken and I couldn't help but notice how beautiful the Cullens looked. Every single one of them was inhumanly beautiful and here I was, as plain as could be, hanging out with them.
Edward came back to me, once he was released from Esme, and must have noticed I wasn't as happy as I had been a minute ago. "What's wrong, Love?" He asked, stroking his long fingers along my cheek.
"I was just thinking. I'll tell you about it later."
"Are you sure you're alright? We don't have to go if you don't want. We could –"
"Edward, I'm fine. I've been looking forward to seeing the rain forest. I just want us to have a good time and not worry about stupid shit."
"If you're sure."
"Positive."
After the conversation between Edward and me, our group found the tour guide who was holding up the sign for the rain forest tour. After the rest of the tour group joined us, our tour guide, Armando, led us to a coach bus. Funny enough, we all ended up being coupled off. Edward led me to a seat that was towards the back of the bus. He slid in first and then pulled me close to him, the argument from this morning completely forgotten. I laid my head on his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders. Alice and Jasper were in the seats next to us, Rose and Emmett in front of us, Carlisle and Esme in front of Alice and Jasper, and Renée and Charlie in front of Carlisle and Esme.
"Buenos dias! Como estás? How is everybody?" Armando began.
The bus resounded with various greetings.
"Very good. Today we will be driving to the El Yunque Rain Forest and then we will take a small hike through it."
"Oh great," I mumbled.
"What's up?" Edward asked.
"Hiking. If I had known that we were going to be hiking, I might have taken you up on your offer to stay on the ship."
"What's wrong with hiking?"
"In case you haven't noticed, I am the biggest klutz in the world. I trip over nothing sometimes, that's how klutzy I am. I can't even begin to imagine all the things I could trip over in a rain forest. I'm sure there are huge rocks and roots sticking up waiting to ambush me and make me fall down."
Edward laughed and kissed my temple, "I won't let you fall. I promise."
I knew there was a reason why I loved him. If only he reciprocated those feelings, I'd be in good shape. I looked over at Alice and Jasper and noticed that she was now sporting a knowing smirk. She must have seen the little exchange between Edward and I. Damn pixie. I'm sure she'll drag me into her lair wanting details. But, there are no details to give. Edward and I are just friends and nothing more, no matter how bad I want our relationship to go beyond that. No more moping. You're supposed to be having the time of your life, not fretting over a relationship. I pushed all those thoughts out of my mind and concentrated on the here and now.
We drove for about an hour and a half and I almost had a heart attack. The road we were on was really narrow and the bus driver was driving like a madman, going way over the recommended speed limit. The bus driver finally came to a stop near a tower.
"Alright mi amigos. Let's get a move on." We filed out of the bus and followed Armando towards the tower. He stopped at the bottom of it, "This is the Yohaku Observation Tower. We will be climbing up but, I have to warn you, there are 99 stairs and the staircase is very narrow. If you wish, you could remain down here, but the view from the top is spectacular."
There was no question as to what we were going to do. We climbed the stairs, Edward behind me making sure I was safe. Armando wasn't kidding when he said the stairs were narrow. Two people could barely fit on one stair. Once at the top, the view was breathtaking. The only thing you could see were miles upon miles of lush green landscape. There was a thick fog that was settled over the trees that made the forest seem even more spectacular. I walked over to the wall and looked out at the amazing sight before me. Edward was behind me, his arms wrapped around my waist and his head resting on my shoulder. I was beginning to think that he didn't care what Charlie, or any of our parents for that matter, thought about our relationship, or lack thereof. I certainly didn't mind.
"It's beautiful." I said in awe.
"Not nearly as beautiful as you."
I blushed, of course, and playfully slapped his arm. "I'm not beautiful," I said more to myself but, I'm sure he heard.
Edward turned me around in his arms. "Bella, you have no idea how beautiful you are. You don't see yourself clearly."
Can he be any more perfect? I wrapped my arms around him and he returned the gesture, "Thank you."
"Anytime, Love."
"Say cheese!" Alice just had to interrupt our moment with the flash of a camera.
"Alice, what are you doing?" I said in annoyance, reluctantly breaking away from Edward's embrace.
"Esme left me in charge of taking pictures and I couldn't resist how cute you two look together."
"Why don't you go take pictures of Rose and Emmett?" Edward asked.
"They've been in love for years, so they're no fun anymore. There's just something about puppy love that's so appealing."
Puppy love? I quickly tried to deny it, "Alice, we're not in love. We're just friends."
"Sure you are. Just give it a little time. You two are going to get together soon enough. Trust me, I know these things." She said, tapping her temple.
"What are you, psychic?"
"I like to think so. Anyway, I'll leave you two love birds be. Have fun!" She said with a wink as she skipped off to rejoin Jasper. We had to rejoin the rest of our group to get some group photos, but it wasn't so bad.
Armando started speaking again once everybody got their pictures and we were back at the bottom of the tower. "According to ancient Indian Legend, the good spirit 'Yuquiyu' (or 'Yokahu') reigned on his mighty mountain-top throne, protecting Puerto Rico and its people. The rain forest only accounts for a small portion of Puerto Rico. The entire rainforest is only a small crescent shaped strip on the windward side of the El Yunque Mountains and lies in the El Yunque National Forest Reserve.
He led us to a path that cut through the trees. "The rain forest is quiet and serene. Most of the time, the only sounds that can be heard are the fauna in the area and the water coursing down the natural waterfalls or down the rivers. El Yunque is very lush and the plants have adapted to benefit from the copious amounts of rainfall.
"El Yunque boasts many exclusive species of plants and animals. One of the rarest animals is the Puerto Rican Parrot. Another resident here in the El Yunque is the coquis. Coquis are indigenous tree frogs that are very small. Listen." He commanded us. We did as he said and could hear little chirping noises. "That noise is made by the coquis."
As promised, Edward did not let me trip once. I stumbled a couple of times, but he was right there to catch me before I fell and, for that, I was grateful.
The trail we had taken was a loop and we ended up by a body of water. Armando began speaking again, "This, right behind me, is El Baño Grande and is a natural pool here in the rain forest. The water in there is so pure, you can swim in it."
"Alright!" Emmett yelled, pumping his fist in the air.
"But, we will not be doing that today." Armando, reluctantly told Emmett.
"Aw, man!" he whined, hanging his head.
Rose tried to console him. She must have told him something really good because, in no time at all, Emmett was back to his usual loud self.
The other people took hundreds of pictures and, once they were done with that, we loaded back onto the bus. Edward led us back to our seats in the back of the bus. After everyone was back on the bus and a headcount was taken, we were on our way back towards the ship.
I yawned and Edward pulled me closer to his side. "Tired?"
I yawned again, proving his suspicion. He chuckled and pulled me onto his lap. "Sleep, Love." I tried keeping my eyes open, but once Edward started humming an unfamiliar tune and started stroking my hair again, I was under in no time flat.
EPOV
Once I started humming the lullaby I had written for Bella and stroking her silky hair, her breathing evened out and she fell into a deep sleep, curled into my chest. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Today had definitely been an adventure. Our minor fight is nothing more than a mere memory and Bella and I are as close as ever. When we were at the top of the tower, I had her pulled against my chest. I knew Charlie was close by, probably watching his daughter like a hawk, but I couldn't care less. If having Bella as more than a friend meant that I would have to endure the wrath of Charlie, I would gladly take it any day. On the trail, Bella tripped a couple of times, but I gladly caught her before she hurt herself. I'm amazed at how true her statement about being a klutz was. That didn't make me love her any less.
What?!
Where did that come from? I guess I'm not that surprised. After I saw how much it affected me when I saw Bella hurting because of what I had done, I knew our relationship had moved beyond a simple friendship. The next step would be to tell her how I really feel. We promised to not keep things from each other, and I intended to keep that promise.
I spent the hour and a half ride back to the ship in complete bliss. I relished in the feeling of Bella's body pressed up against my own. At some point during the drive, she had latched onto my shirt and nuzzled her head deeper into the crook of my neck. She had mumbled, so quietly I thought I didn't hear her correctly, "Edward." She was dreaming about me. She started getting restless and her breathing started to pick up.
I reassured her by stroking her hair again, "I'm right here, Love. I'm not going anywhere." I said that low enough that prying ears wouldn't hear, but loud enough for Bella to hear me. After that, she relaxed and was silent for the rest of the drive.
I hated to wake her up, but we were back at the ship and we needed to get off the bus. "Bella, Love, wake up. We're here."
She slowly opened her eyes, but she still seemed out of it. "How are you feeling?"
"Mmm, better."
"Good, I'm glad." She sat there on top of me for a few more moments before I asked. "Are you planning on letting me stand up or are we going to stay here on the bus?"
Realization dawned on her and she shot up off my lap. She looked around and realized that the last few people, besides us, were just leaving the bus. "Sorry, I'm not quite with it yet."
I stood up laughing, "I understand." I reached for her and pulled her close to my side as we exited the bus. She was a little unsteady on her feet, and I didn't want her falling down. She had done so good so far avoiding that and I wasn't about to let gravity win over her at the last minute.
We slipped our boarding passes into the slots, documenting our return to the ship. Everybody had decided to go their separate ways once back on the ship. I thought it best to take Bella back up to our room. We took the elevator so we wouldn't have to deal with the stairs. That was a disaster waiting to happen in her condition.
Slowly but surely, we made it back to the room, me supporting most of Bella's weight the whole way. "Do you want to go to the dining room for dinner, or do you want to stay in the room and order room service?"
"Can we just do room service?"
"Certainly. What would you like?" I handed her the room service menu.
She looked through the menu and decided on chicken strips and a side of ranch. I ordered a Swiss and mushroom burger with fries. We decided to put a movie on while waiting for the food. Across the Universe was the movie of choice.
Soon after the movie started, there was a knock on the door, signaling the arrival of the food.
We finished eating and Bella was curled up against me on the bed. Evan Rachel Wood started singing:
If I fell in love with you, Cause I've
been in love before If I give my heart to you,
Would
you promise to be true
And help me understand.
And I've found that love was more,
Than
just holding hands.
I must be
sure from the very start
That you would love me more than her.
Hearing these lyrics brought me back to when I mentioned Tanya earlier this morning. I knew I loved Bella more than I loved Tanya and to make progress in our relationship, I needed to tell Bella about her.
If I trust in you, Cause I couldn't stand the pain. If I fell in love with you.
Oh please,
don't run and hide.
If I love you too,
Oh please, don't hurt
my pride like her,
And I,
would be sad if our new love was in vain,
So I hope you see,
That
I would love to love you.
We finished watching the movie and Bella was nearly passed out. I was just about to disentangle myself from her, but she stopped me.
"Where are you going?" she asked, panic lacing her voice.
"I was just going to the couch."
She seemed to be contemplating something before she made her decision, "Could you lay with me?"
I was shocked, but excited at the same time. Maybe pushing forward in our relationship wouldn't be as hard as I had first thought. "Are you sure? I don't want you to regret anything."
"I'm sure," conviction in her voice.
Hesitantly, I made my way towards the bed and lay down next to her, our bodies not touching. She didn't seem to like that much. She wormed her way into my arms. Naturally, I wrapped her up in my embrace.
"Don't leave me," she whispered.
I didn't know where that came from, but it warmed my heart to no end. "Never," I vowed.
She got comfortable and fell asleep, once again.
"I love you, Bella." I murmured to myself before I fell into the most peaceful sleep I have ever had.
A/N: We hope you enjoyed this chapter. Our grandpa's name is Armando and he is from Puerto Rico, so it fit. The song was "If I Fell" covered by Evan Rachel Wood, originally done by The Beatles. The links for Puerto Rico will be on our profiles. Sizobonana!!!!